This Is How I Grew My Podcast Into A Top 5% Show In 12 Months

Without paid advertising…or paid anything.

The step-by-step process I used to grow my podcast into a top 5% show in a single calendar year.

And no, it has nothing to do with paying for ads.

Imagine seeing your monthly downloads grow by more than 2x every single month without you having to pay for ads and sponsorships just to grow.

Wouldn’t that be lovely?

Thankfully for you, I learned how to do this by quickly growing my show, Human Being Unleashed into a top 5% global podcast in the personal development space in one year.

And I am going to share with you exactly what I did to do it.

Are you ready?

Get something to take notes with, because trust me, you’ll want to act on this immediately.

But before I break down my process and get into the juicy part, let me first put on my “Captain Obvious” hat.

The Elements Of A Top-Ranking Show

I know this advice is simple, but it’s crazy how many people try to grow a podcast without covering the basics.

And if you don’t focus on this first and foremost, your podcast will eventually fail, regardless of how fast and big, it gets.

The question isn’t whether or not you can scale your podcast, rather it should be is your podcast worth scaling?

Just like any technology can be built, but should it be built?

1.) Produce Great Content

Podcasts will grow naturally when the content is actually great.

If you produce subpar content, the market will eventually grow less attracted to your show as it will not be perceived as valuable.

We spend time on things that are important to us, so if you know your audience and what is important to them, and deliver that, you can be sure that over time your listenership will naturally grow.

I remember when I put my show out in 2019, month by month it was growing by first 20, then 40, then eventually hundreds.

I hardly promoted it. I just made episodes consistently and before I knew it I had listeners in China, England, and South Africa.

How did this happen? The content was great and listeners felt a natural inspiration to share it.

If you don’t focus on creating really good content then there is no point in reading the rest of this article.

2.) Go Narrow And Deep (Niche Down)

If you really want to grow your podcast then you will benefit greatly by niching down and cutting the fat.

The first reason is that it’s simply easier to market a niche podcast.

When you have a targeted audience in mind, you can more easily create marketing materials that speak to them specifically.

You know what interests them and what they’re looking for, so you can craft content that resonates.

By contrast, a general podcast has a much harder time standing out in the sea of other offerings.

Another reason is that people are increasingly looking for niche content.

In a world where we’re bombarded with information and choices, we’re craving something that feels specific to us.

We want content that feels like it was made just for us — and that’s exactly what a niche podcast can provide.

Niche listeners are more passionate, enthusiastic, and invested in the topic at hand as opposed to a listener to a general podcast that covers a wide range of topics.

3.) Keep Episodes Under 25–30 Minutes

I know this goes against what I personally do, but I still didn’t want to go over this one.

Most of the world's most popular shows have episodes that are consistently under 30 minutes.

Our attention span as a collective has dwindled until nearly nothing, so it’s more difficult for us to sit down for a 60–90 minute podcast then it is to turn on a podcast that’s 25–30 minutes.

I personally don’t mind long shows, I listen to My First Million and their average episode is 60 minutes.

But I am not the whole, and the whole has already voted with their behaviors, and the mass behavior trend is leaning towards the shorter podcast, typically under 30 minutes, around 15–20.

So this is an important thing to keep in mind.

4.) Be Consistent As Heck.

Ask yourself this.

Are you more likely to tune in to a podcast that randomly dropped episodes with no idea when the next was coming, or are you more likely to tune into a podcast that drops every week/day at a consistent time?

Chances are the latter.

People like consistency, and if there is none then you will lose interest.

When you are consistent with your podcast episodes, people know when to expect new episodes.

This means that they are more likely to tune in regularly, which can help to build a loyal audience.

In addition, by being consistent, you are making it easier for people to recommend your podcast to others.

After all, if someone knows that there is a new episode every Tuesday, they can easily tell their friends about it.

And by being consistent, I don’t just mean just releasing new episodes on a regular basis.

I also mean ensuring that each episode is of similar quality, length, and style.

This predictability helps to build listener trust, which in turn leads to greater loyalty and engagement.

Now, this doesn’t mean that you have to stick to the same format forever.

As your podcast grows, you can experiment with different types of episodes or invite guest hosts onto the show.

However, even small changes can be confusing for listeners if they are not expecting them.

So, if you do decide to make any changes, be sure to let your audience know what to expect beforehand.

How To Grow Your Show With Certainty

Now that you know the four elements of a great show, let’s get into the juicy part.

The step-by-step process I used to grow my podcast into a top 5% show in a single calendar year.

This works seamlessly if you follow the steps I am about to provide.

Don’t go off trying different things.

Just do this process, get results (which you will), and then begin innovating and adding your own touch.

But for the best results just stick to what I am going to share with you right here, right now.

It’s simple too.

You’re going to grow your show by doing one thing…

Guest On Shows That Your Audience Listens To

That’s right.

That’s the big secret.

1. Get on shows that your dream audience is listening to.
2. Deliver amazing content.
3. Tell them to follow you by listening to your show.

Sounds so simple, but as Leonardo De Vinci once said:

“Simplicity is the ultimate form of sophistication.”

Trust me, this works.

Here are a few reasons why.

Why This Works

1. It helps you reach a new audience.

When you guest on another podcast, you have the opportunity to introduce your show to a whole new group of listeners.

This can help you attract new listeners and grow your audience by expanding your reach.

2. It increases your authority and influence.

Not only will you be able to reach a whole new group of listeners, but you’ll also be able to show off your expertise and build up your credibility.

More people will follow you the moment you become credible in their minds.

The reason why is that we trust people we find credible, and to trust someone means you also know and like them.

When you know, like, and trust someone you are more likely to be influenced by them.

This means the audience will be likely to check out your podcast because they would want to learn more from you and feel confident in what you teach.

More features on other shows + more trust + more followers = More podcast listeners.

3. It allows you to build relationships with other podcasters.

Guesting on other shows is a great way to network with other podcasters and build relationships.

These relationships can be beneficial for both parties involved and can lead to greater success for both podcasts down the line.

I’ll also show you how to leverage these relationships in a bit, so stick around.

4. Podcasters have audiences that are easier to influence

As hinted in the section where I covered why niching down is important, podcasters have audiences that are more engaged which means, easier to influence.

Specifically, they are easier to get to listen to your show.

Why?

Because they are already listening to podcasts, which means you do not have to convince them that podcasts are valuable.

They are already using the media channel, so they will have less friction in making the decision to follow you by listening to your show.

People who read books are easier to sell books to.

People who buy courses are easier to sell courses to.

People who read blogs are easier to get to read your blog.

And you guessed it…

People who listen to podcasts are easier to promote podcasts too.

How I Do It (My Step-By-Step Process)

Make my “Dream 100”

In Russel Brunson’s book, Expert Secrets, he says that the most important thing to do is to gather a list of your dream 100.

Here’s how it works:

1. Get clear on the “core desire” your podcast fulfills.

Everything we buy or consume is to fulfill one of the three core desires:

• Health
• Wealth
• Relationships

Which one does your podcast fulfill? Get clear on the bucket first — this will make the entire process of finding your dream 100 easier.

2. Get clear on the core way you fulfill that desire.

In my example, I used my podcast as a way to market my business, which was a hypnotherapy company that helped entrepreneurs grow their impact and income by helping them overcome the fears and anxieties holding them back from making powerful decisions.

So the core desire for me?

• Wealth

How did I fulfill that desire?

• By using hypnosis to help them overcome the fears and anxieties holding them back from making powerful decisions.

Who was I doing it for?

• Entrepreneurs

Using that example get clear on yours.

3. Get clear on what shows help them solve that problem.

In my example, I knew that when it came to my audience wanting to create more wealth that they were likely listening to shows that were focused on finance and business-related topics.

Using Podmatch I look for podcasts that are in these niches.

You can simply type in any keyword and come up with a big list of shows like this:

You can sign up for Podmatch by clicking here.

Your main goal here is to make a list of 100 shows that have your dream audience.

If you are your dream audience, then look at the shows you listen to, and related shows to those.

This will make finding your dream 100 very easy.

Ask yourself, “What podcasts have already captured the attention of my dream audience?”

Pitch The Dream 100

Once I made my list (btw, my list was longer than 250 — so don’t limit it to just 100) I began to reach out to each one of them with a pitch.

However, as someone who gets pitches regularly from people wanting to be on my show, I saw that every single person was pitching me with long-form text.

So instead of typing up my pitches, I put the video on and began recording them.

In a recent article, “How I Get Booked On 4+ Podcasts A Week (Without A PR Agency)” I broke down how I craft powerful video pitches.

To make this easier for you I am going to include the part of the article where I share how I do this below:

How To Make A Powerful Video Pitch

If you want to get people to act, you have to know what drives human behavior.

And what drives human behavior is emotion.

Once you know this, the next step makes sense.

Tell a story.

Stories enroll people in an emotional experience because they create pictures in our minds.

Since we are visual beings, images strongly influence what we do or don’t do.

If you are a vegan, the image of meat is so gross that you don’t even have a desire for it.

If you imagine squeezing the juice of a lemon onto your tongue and begin having your mouth salivate almost immediately.

Physical matter follows images in the mind.

Therefore it’s the images held in the mind that drive the emotion, then it’s the emotion that drives the behavior.

So stories are the best way to go if you’re going to pull someone in from start to finish.

They create “mental movies” in people’s minds.

Therefore formulating your story, and fitting it into a 1–2 minute window, is key to getting a lot of bookings.

I call this your Power Story, and I teach you how to write one in my course, The Power Pitch Program.

However, below I am going to break down the overall structure of the power pitch.

The Structure Of The Power Pitch

1. Connect

Don’t actually ask this though.

Before you go into explaining how you can add value to them and their audience, connect with the host.

Find some way to relate to a recent episode or the overall theme of the show.

Be very specific in this part as it will make or break the pitch.

2. Introduce Yourself Through Story (In A Way That Demonstrates Your Expertise)

After and only after you connect, introduce yourself, and do it through a story.

For example,

“My name is Adrian and my life was deeply impacted when I was a young boy who got made fun of because I couldn’t pronounce words correctly.”

Do you feel the difference between that and, “My name is Adrian and I help people overcome doubts and fears so they can be successful?”

Find a way to get them emotionally invested in why you do what you do before you tell them what you do.

This will get them emotionally invested.

After this, you tell them what you do and how it can help their audience (and be sure you know their audience)

When this happens you can easily do the next step.

3. Make The Ask

Now that you got them emotionally invested, they are ready to be asked to do something.

Just ask them directly whether or not they want to have you on their show, but do it in a way that is a win-win.

Again, you can learn how to craft your own power story here in The Power Pitch Program.

What To Do After You Get Booked

Now that you know how to get booked, how do you use those podcast appearances to grow your show?

Well first, deliver real value.

Don’t answer the questions with fluff, instead, put it all out there and do not have any kind of limit to the value you share.

The more you share, the more likely they are going to follow you.

And when the podcast host asks at the end how the audience can follow you — which they all do — then you don’t want to make the mistake of giving them multiple different ways to find you.

Just give them one clear call to action, and that call to action should be one where they go and listen to your podcast.

For example,

“If you want to hear more on (xyz) and see how you can (accomplish xyz) then go check out my show (name), I release new episodes every (xyz) at (time).”

Turn The Relationships Into Assets Afterwards

The opportunity isn’t just in being on the show, there are massive amounts of opportunities in the relationship that you build with the host.

One of the best parts about delivering tons of value on a podcast is turning the host of that show into a champion of your work.

When they champion your work, they advocate for it and will be the first to recommend you to other podcast hosts.

So after each podcast interview here is what I do.

1. I send a thank you text and email to the host.
2. If I have something I know they’ll value, I’ll gift it to them.
3. I’ll rate and review their show.
4. I’ll follow them on social media and engage with their content.
5. When the podcast releases I follow up with this with a message saying, “Thanks for having me on your show, I loved it and had a lot of fun. I’m really focused on getting more of my message out there, so I was wondering if there are any shows that would benefit from having me on?”

You’d be surprised how many connections you get from sending this simple text/email/voice message.

Make sure they connect you in 3 way message, this will make the connection easier and more likely to result in you being featured on another show.

Follow this process with every single host you get interviewed by.

It’s A Numbers Game, So Work The Numbers

Remember, growing your show is literally a numbers game.

The more numbers you have, the better.

So when you think of your “Dream 100” — don’t limit it to just 100.

Expand your possibilities by expanding the number of shows that you reach out to, this will lead to more people listening to your podcast, and the more you reach out to in a shorter time, the bigger and faster you grow.

Focus On The 20%

Once you have your list made, focus on the ones with the biggest audiences.

Spend your time connecting with and building relationships with the host of the biggest podcast.

Be a consumer of their content, get interested in what they are interested in and build relationships with them.

This way before when you make the ask to be on their show it’s genuine and real, and gets you an easier “yes.”

But don’t pitch them right away.

In the meantime, if you don’t have an audience yet or only a small one, begin pitching all of the smaller shows immediately.

Especially the ones you find on Podmatch.

This will allow you to build up more of a presence and credibility so when you pitch other shows they see that you have already been on numerous shows, giving you more credibility in their mind.

Before I began aiming for bigger shows I made sure I had done at least 15 interviews. When I had that under my belt, I began pitching the bigger shows.

In Conclusion

Being a featured guest on other shows is one of the best ways to jumpstart your own podcast and become a top-ranking show.

I did it to become a 5% global ranking podcast in 12 months.

Not only does this method help you market directly to people who are already interested in what you do, but it also makes it easier for them to listen to your show.

And because people who listen to podcasts are also already interested in podcasts, they will see you as credible, making it more likely that you gain people from that audience as regular listeners to your show.

If you want to learn how I personally get booked on 4+ podcasts a week to grow my podcast and my businesses, then click here.